grants and awards 2012-2013 · nominations fy 2013: 107 ! typical achievements: " supervisors...

© 2009 The Regents of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109

Grants and Awards 2012-2013


The Ergonomics Team Service Providers: q  Suzanne Bade: MHealthy Medical Ergonomics q  Sarah Cooney: OSEH q  Laura Drabczyk: Dearborn q  Jacqueline Eckert: UMHS/SMS q  Pamela Koczman: OSEH q  Michael Lane: Flint q  Brenda Myers: UMHS/SMS q  Laura Rometsch: Flint q  Sydney Parmenter: Dearborn q  Amie Rush: UMHS/SMS


Goal Reduce risk factors related to Musculoskeletal Disorders

§  Sprains, Strains, Pain §  Back, Neck, Arm, Leg, Vision, Sensation

Issues/Risk Factors §  Postures, Repetitive Movement/Sustained Postures,

Force, Contact Stress, Temperature, Vibration Risk Reduction via

§  Personal Habits, Administrative Controls, Engineering (Equipment)


Website Self Help

q  Tutorials §  Office, Laboratory, Material Handling, Patient Care

q  Videos: §  How to Adjust Specific Office Chairs §  How to Adjust Specific Keyboard Trays

q  Ergo Tips to Print q  Design Guidelines

Ergo Hero Individual Awards q Nominations FY 2013: 107 q Typical Achievements:

§  Supervisors and administrators support of faculty and staff needs for ergonomic improvements, and employee initiation and use of ergonomic improvements


Ergo Departmental Awards v  Plaques for Outstanding Contribution (1)

v Ann Arbor – Plant Hospital Maintenance HVAC Shop

v  Certificate of Recognition (3) v UMHHC – Canton Health Center Internal Medicine v Ann Arbor – ITS Teaching Learning v Ann Arbor – Microbiology Immunology

v  Letter of Commendation (1) v UMHHC – Home Med. Infusion


Ann Arbor/Plant Hospital Maintenance HVAC Shop

Plaque for Outstanding Contribution - In recognition of your project to reduce material handling ergonomic risks by converting from a liquid chemical treatment in 450 lbs. drums to solid chemical treatments weighing less than 10 lbs.



Ergo Grants q  Dept. annual competitive application process

§  Over $188,000 requested for 75 projects. Funded 20? projects with $45,000 central fund, Dept. cost sharing nearly doubles the impact.

q  Individuals with medical accommodation needs §  $10,000 fund to cost share with departments for

medical ergonomics clients needing significant equipment purchase to meet their work and medical needs. Maximum offer of $200 per client, and only if cost exceeds $400.

AA/ULAM Piloted modified cart


Before After

Before: “. . . a good amount of the back related issues that get reported to us are related to poor ergonomic design of our carts. Most technicians complain about getting supplies off of the bottom shelf especially taller technicians. ”

After: “Overall people like it but have some concerns with it.” We will address those.

AA/CoE – EECS, CSE Division Lift platform


Before After

Before: “The wheelchair is much wider and longer than the lift support platform, lifting it to comfortable work height puts it in danger of falling over. This necessitates frequent sitting/lying on the ground in order to work on the chair. ”

After: “Work can be performed with more precision since it’s not necessary to work from contorted positions to access components.”

AA/MCDB Monitors


Before After

Before: “We work with datasets that require full days looking for tiny details on small monitors. At the end of the day eyes are stressed.”

After: “With the higher resolution and larger screen, screen shots for presentations are better and I can prepare my work in more comfort. I couldn’t do with a laptop, what I’m doing with these monitors.”

UMHHC/Hematology and Oncology Chairs


Before After

Before: “Because of the ergonomic incompatibility (of the chairs), numerous fellows complain about back pain and foot numbness after completing a long shift.”

After: “All of the fellows who have new chairs are very pleased with the changes and there have been multiple comments on pain improvement.”

Flint/Facilities and Operations Loading dock leveller


Before After

Before: “Employees need to push/pull deliveries that are bridged by a dock plate between the loading dock and the truck. This technique causes strain to the employees back, legs, etc.”

After: “”

AA/Cancer Ctr. Trials Office Piloted pre-punched paper, Electric punches


Before After

Before: “The most common type of ongoing injury from repetitive hole punching thick stacks of paper is strain to the wrist and arms. The repetitive opening and closing of binders and the moving of heavy binders off and onto shelves for storage.”

After: “Several staff members have mentioned less strain on wrists from using non-electronic hole punchers.”

AA/LSA Facilities and Operations Lift dolly


Before After

Before: “Often our movers are asked to relocate heavy and awkward items, without an optimal solution. I have had reports of back and joint pains across most of moving staff.”

After: “Employees are very satisfied with the new equipment.”

AA/IRBMED Cart


Before After

Before: “Several staff members . . . have indicated back and upper body discomfort from handling such a large amount of equipment on our current carts. ”

After: “We are now experiencing increased safety and wellness (improved postures and less contact stress in wrists, hands, backs, and arms from pushing hard on the old equipment to make it move through the many hallways at the hospital to their final destination in the dining rooms.”

UMHHC/Women’s Hospital Computer cart


Before After

Before: “The resulting discomfort associated with the height of the keyboard are back pain and shoulder discomfort from a "slouching" position while using the keyboard. Many employees have complained.”

After: “This was such a great idea! I knew that when I started working here, these desktops were going to cause a lot of issues with my back. This [keyboard stand] really helps!”

Flint/Early Childhood Dev. Ctr. Chairs


Before After

Before: “[From sitting on the floor to assist the children] our backs and sitting bones hurt, our feet and legs sometimes go numb. ”

After: “Teachers and staff members report that the chairs making putting children down for a nap a pleasure. Pain free!”

AA/Microbiology and Immunology Chairs


Before After

Before: “My co-workers often feel discomfort in their lower backs, shoulders, necks, and wrists following just one hour of work at their desks likely due to the improper posture they are sitting in as a result of the low chairs.”

After: “The new chair can be adjusted to the appropriate height for my desk, provides lumbar support, and has adjustable arm rests, which has allowed us to actually work in comfort at our desk. ”

AA/Detroit Center Lighter tables


Before After

Before: “The current furniture in the North Studio presents a significant challenge to the Detroit Center staff in terms of arranging and rearranging the room in a safe and timely manner. ”

After: “The lighter weight tables allow our staff to rearrange rooms with less effort and strain.”

AA/Univ. Musical Society Headsets


Before After

Before: “Working in a phone center we have many repetitive motions. These repetitive motions with the phone cause neck pain and stress due to the pain.”

After: “Everyone was pleased that their concerns had been heard and that we made an office improvement for the team. Good boost in team morale, too!”

AA/Loch-Caruso Lab/ EHS Stools


Before After

Before: “The six older chairs cause awkward postures when used at the bench and have no or poor back support. There are complaints about the chairs being extremely uncomfortable. . .”

After: “[We] feel safe, stable and much more productive in our new lab chairs”

AA/Internal Medicine Nephrology Stools


Before After

Before: “The 4 legs on the two chairs are unstable and people have nearly fallen. The stool does not move at all and so people are forced to reach for things causing stress on themselves . . .”

After: “Having a chair that allows better posture while working at the desk has greatly improved necks and lower back strain.”

AA/ITS SS Computer Repair Center Monitor riser


Before After

Before: “. . . we have monitors mounted to benches that are used all day long. . . The mounts are not very adjustable, so we are forced to use them in rather awkward and uncomfortable positions.”

After: “Feedback from the staff using the monitor arms has been very positive. Everyone who has used them has remarked on the significant improvement.”

AA/Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience Institute Lift cart


Before After

Before: “MBNI has 11 giant 8U/9U rackmount servers, each weighs over 100 pounds. Mounting the server to the rack is dangerous . . .we often need to pull the servers out of the rack and move them”

After: “We used to suffer serious scrapes and occasional back injuries when mounting big storage servers, but our first trial of the ServerLift was a happy experience.”

UMHHC/Psychiatry, Psychiatry Ambulatory Care Stools


Before After

Before: “The Medical Assistants have gone from mainly working at a desk to being on their feet all day. They didn't have chairs or adjustable desks for their laptops.”

After: “Our new chairs work well …posture is better and physically feel well at the end of the day.” “. . . Also having the arm rest makes the chair more comfortable ”

UMHHC/PM&R Occupational Therapy Mats


Before After

Before: “The existing high-low mat table does not go low enough for many patients to place their feet on the floor to stabilize themselves. The current equipment will not safely handle patients over 350 lbs.”

After: “”

UMHHC/PM&R Occupational Therapy Standing Frame


Before After

Before: “Our current standing frame is manually operated and will not support patients over 250 lbs. The dimensions of the equipment are challenging, and the hand-crank mechanisms put a strain on the therapists.”

After: “”

AA/Medical School Facilities Management and Planning Stools


Before After

Before: “The stools have a 4-star base and you have to spin them to adjust them. These stools are not OSEH compliant and make changing the stool height difficult for the multiple people that use them.”

After: “I have not heard too many complaints, but that’s a good thing. ”

Flint/ITS - Network Support Services Ladders


Before After

Before: “The 8' wooden ladders we currently have to use are heavy, cumbersome, and don't fit well into the elevators to move between floors. Moving these large ladders around result in sore back muscles and shoulders.”

After: “The ladders are so light that they don’t hurt my shoulders carrying them from room to room all day…These are easier to fit into the elevators than the old wooden one in FH”

UMHHC/ECP Cart


Before After

Before: “need of a portable motorized cart to place the ECP CellEx Instrument on for transporting long distances to inpatient units. These instruments weigh over 500 pounds, have rear wheels that do not pivot, are tall and hard to see above/around and are difficult to push any distance especially over carpet and up/down ramps.”

After: “”

Learn more and Apply for Ergonomic Grants and Awards

at www.Mhealthy.umich.edu

Thank You!


grants and awards 2012-2013 · nominations fy 2013: 107 ! typical achievements: " supervisors...

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